Like Cars On A Cable
by DrawnToTheRhythm
Summary: Postep for S9 'Paternity'. Kathy admits what she's known all along, Elliot lets go of his past and Olivia finds out where exactly she fits in. EO
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order: SVU, they belong to Dick Wolf & the wonderful folks at NBC. No copyright infringement intended. Please don't sue me, I'm a poor student who writes fanfic for the love of the characters.**

**A/N: OK so this show is officially the most frustrating to ship for since CSI:s Elliot and Olivia have so much chemistry they could run Procter & Gamble single-handedly but, damnit, if he isn't already married to a really sweet woman! Still, I think Olivia wins this one hands-down for three reasons: 1) The tension is just too damn electric, 2) Elliot loves Kathy because of their history and their kids but he doesn't need her in the way that he needs Liv; Liv is like oxygen to him and Kathy knows it, hence the divorce and 3) I know Liv better than Kathy. **

**p.s. did you know that you can make "I love a lot" from "Elliot" & "Olivia"?**

**I'll play nice but I am an Elliot/Olivia shipper so sorry guys, if you're all for the EK pairing, run away screaming now!**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sheriff's car raced up the street as Elliot headed towards it, his expression changing from professional greeting to surprise at the sight of Fin jumping out.

"What's happened?" He asked but one look at Fin's face told him all he needed to know and his breath caught in his chest. _Olivia_

"I'll tell you on the way, there's a chopper waiting for us," Fin stated as he jumped into the back seat, allowing Elliot to get into the passenger seat.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elliot arrived at the hospital anxious to see that the mother of his child was ok. As soon as he heard Olivia's voice call his name he knew everything was going to be all right but he had to see for himself. Barging past her he entered the room where his ex-wife and new baby were resting comfortably. His body breathed an involuntary sigh of relief upon seeing them both alive and awake on the bed as he rushed to their side. One hand clasped the side of Kathy's face as he reassured himself with a touch that she really was fine and he was rewarded with a beaming smile.

"It's a boy," she stated and, still grinning, Elliot nuzzled her face which was only millimeters from hers. He may not be in love with Kathy any longer but that didn't mean that he didn't care. She was his ex-wife of nineteen years and the mother of his, now five, children and for that she would always hold a special place in his heart.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered, "it's all my fault. If I hadn't told Liv to take you, this never would've happened."

Kathy reached out and placed her free hand on his cheek.

"Hey! Now, this wasn't your fault! It wasn't anybody's fault, besides that damn driver, ok?" Elliot pulled away to look into her eyes. He expected to see... something. Heaven knew, if it were him he would want to assign blame and, given their past history, it wouldn't have been entirely presumptuous to assume that Kathy would have at least placed some of the blame at Olivia's feet. As if reading his mind, Kathy pre-empted his question. "It wasn't Olivia's fault. The guy came out of nowhere across a junction and a stop sign, there was nothing she could have done. She saved me and the baby, Elliot. She looked after me and protected our son and she risked her own life to do it."

Elliot's eyes glazed over at the mention of her actions and it didn't go unnoticed by Kathy. It would've been untruthful to say that she wasn't jealous of the other woman in Elliot's life because she was, but she knew deep down that theirs was a marriage built first and foremost upon circumstance; the love, respect and caring had come over time. Theirs hadn't been a whirlwind romance, there hadn't been time after she became pregnant. They were Catholic school kids, they knew the deal. True, they had been happy and had created a beautiful, if not always perfect, family together but Kathy soon realised that Elliot belonged to his job at all costs. It was as much a part of who he was as his courage, strength and commitment to do the right thing, no matter what the personal sacrifice. She, too, was not an innocent bystander in the proceedings either. She had refused to admit what was plain for her to see for so many years and tried to change him instead of learning to accept his dedication to his job. She had as much of a role in the breakdown of their marriage as he did. As sorrowful as it made her, Kathy had long ago accepted that whilst she still cared for Elliot, and loved him, she was no longer the not-so-innocent teenager who had fallen head over heels for him. She loved him but was no longer in love with him, just as he with her. That night he had returned home had been wonderful, yes, but it had been nothing more than two people seeking the comfort and solace to be had in the memory of something that no longer existed. It would been wrong to get back together for the sake of this baby. It was something that, until now, hadn't hit Kathy hard but seeing Elliot for the first time after the accident had made up her mind.

"I'm sorry Elliot, I can't do this." It was Elliot's turn to look puzzled. "I mean this, us. I know that we agreed to give our marriage another go but you and I both know that if it wasn't for this baby you wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have considered giving us another shot."

"So, what? That's it? What about Junior here?"

Kathy smiled.

"You're still his father, that hasn't changed. You can see him whenever you like so don't think you'll be getting a break from changing diapers and 2am wake-up calls," she tried to joke, "seriously, Elliot, you know that I love you but I can't go through this again. You haven't changed any more than I have and as much as we would both like to think better, what is different that is going to make it work this time around?" Elliot's eyes filled with tears but he couldn't help but agree that every word she said was the truth. He paused for a few moments to regain his composure.

"You're right, you're right. I guess I was just hoping that this little guy might be the miracle cure to all of our problems but how many times have I seen people in exactly this situation? It never worked for any of them, I don't know why I was so arrogant to think that we should be any different."

Kathy brushed his tear away.

"You were just hoping for the best like I was. But we'd both be living a lie and that's not fair to you, me or the kids. You can stay for as long as you need, I'm not going to kick you out of our home, but I think we both know that this marriage was over a long time ago."

Elliot just nodded, finally allowing the knowledge to fill him and, strangely he felt as though an invisible weight had been lifted. Sure, he was sad that it had come down to this but at least they could end things in the best possible way.

"Are we good?" He asked. Kathy reached over and grasped his hand, smiling tiredly but genuinely.

"Of course we are." The little guy yawned, closely followed by his Mommy.

"Have you thought of any names?"

Kathy rubbed his tiny pink cheek gently.

"I was thinking of naming him after his Daddy, what do you say?"

Elliot beamed and the baby blubbed and waved his chubby arm.

"Well, whaddya know, I think he likes it! Elliot Jnr, uh? Is the world ready for another one of me?"

"I don't think the world could ever be ready for that!" Kathy chuckled and involuntarily yawned for the second time. Elliot knew a good exit line when he saw one.

"Looks like Mommy needs her beauty sleep!" Elliot cooed to the baby, "What do you say we let her get some rest, Elliot?" The baby yawned as if on cue and Elliot gently took him in his arms and placed him in the incubator bed next to Kathy's. He then turned back to Kathy and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest, Kath. I'll be back in the morning." Kathy nodded and closed her eyes as Elliot slowly crept out of the room to be greeted by the most welcome sight of his smiling partner.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I know, no Elliot/Olivia ship so far but trust me, it's coming soon!**

**Please read and review. With a cherry on top :D**


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia was shaken out of her contemplative reverie at the doctor pushing open the door to Kathy's room. Elliot slowly walked towards her and it took all of her remaining energy to fake her Oscar-worthy smile. Unable to broach the subject of his wife, she instead asked about the baby. Elliot smiled in relief.

"Great."

He studied her intently for a moment, her smile fixed, her eyes glistening. God, she was beautiful. He'd almost lost her today and yet here she was safe and unharmed and being so supportive of him and his family when she had no one - God, he felt like such a bastard! He'd palmed his pregnant wife off upon his partner who accepted it without question. Olivia and his wife had always had a somewhat strained relationship in no small part due to his own unwillingness to share himself completely with Kathy. There were things that he didn't think he could handle her knowing about him in fear that she would turn and run and take his kids with her; Olivia knew him warts and all and yet she was still here. It was sometimes the only thing that kept him sane, the knowledge that if this wonderful, complex woman could accept him for who he truly was, then maybe he wasn't as screwed up as he thought. He had a sudden, overwhelming urge to hold her, to reassure himself that she was safe and unhurt just as he had Kathy back in that room. Knowing she would never accept a hug in full view of his, now sleeping, ex-wife, Elliot made to walk off down the corridor and Olivia immediately followed. Taking her by complete surprise, he spun 180 on his heels, reached out to grasp her wrist and pulled her towards him. The way he crushed her to his chest took Olivia off guard and she visibly stiffened for a moment before allowing herself to take refuge in his arms. For the first time it hit her what a close call it had been and tears began to well up in her eyes. She closed them and allowed herself the small luxury of breathing in his scent, all the while telling herself that she shouldn't be feeling this good just because her partner of nine years was holding her. First and foremost, he was married and she had just helped his wife deliver their baby, what kind of person was she? He began to pull away and she steeled herself for one last breath of him before opening her eyes and facing him. She looked up into his now guarded eyes, her own filled with an emotion that neither dared to catagorize for fear of having to deal with the consequences. Elliot cleared his throat, trying to fight back tears and hold his emotions in check. Olivia glanced down; it was all it took for her to regain enough composure to break the awkward silence.

"Have you picked a name?" She asked as they began to walk down the corridor.

"Kathy wants to name him after me!" He stated rather smugly and Olivia smiled.

"Just what the world needs, another Elliot Stabler!" They both grinned and exited through the door of the maternity ward.

Kathy sighed and leaned back against her pillows. She'd known for a long time that Elliot had been in love with his partner even though he was completely oblivious. Having witnessed their little exchange she knew she had done the right thing. She couldn't be with a man who was subconciously head over heels in love with another woman. She suspected that Olivia returned his feelings but by this point Kathy liked to think that she knew them both well enough to know that they had behaved in nothing but an honorable way while she had been married to Elliot. That much had been evident if only due to Elliot's helplessness while Olivia had been away. When she had told him that she wanted a divorce, he had been upset but he couldn't deny to himself that this hadn't been coming for a long time. When Olivia left, his world fell apart. Kathy knew that, with her, he was mourning the loss of his family. With Olivia, he had lost a part of his soul.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elliot insisted on dropping Olivia off at her apartment and she was about to object when Cragen appeared.

"Olivia! Are you all right?" When she nodded he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Elliot. "How are Kathy and the baby?"

"They're both fine thank you, Captain." Elliot replied, smiling.

"Elliot." Olivia interjected and Cragen gave her a puzzled look. "The baby, his name is Elliot."

"Really? Well, congratulations, Detective! Let's hope this one is less of a thorn in my side," he said, winking. Elliot chuckled and Olivia smiled. "I'd better get back to the station, we've got a DUI to string up from a yard arm. Olivia, can I give you a ride home? I'm giving you the rest of the week off to recover."

"Captain, that really won't be necessary. I'm fi-"

"It's ok, I'm taking her home." Elliot interrupted. Cragen nodded.

"Good," he faced Olivia, "If I see you within 50 feet of my office before Monday I'll have your badge, Detective?" His smiled betrayed his harsh-sounding tone, "Are we clear?" Olivia forced a smile.

"Crystal, Sir."

"Glad to hear it, now get some rest." Olivia nodded and after saying their goodbyes, Benson and Stabler turned to leave. Cragen spun around and called out her name. She paused, looking up expectantly. "You did an excellent job today, Detective." He turned to Elliot, "I daresay you owe your family to her, Stabler. Just do me a favour? Don't screw it up this time!" And with that he left leaving a stunned Olivia and an even more shocked Elliot in his wake.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews so far, they really do make all the difference to my motivation to continue writing. I hope you keep on enjoying this story. I tried a different font this time, please let me know which you find easier to read.**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Olivia opened the door to her apartment, she had begun to wish that she had accepted Elliot's offer of coming up for a drink. The place seemed vast and empty to her as she dumped her jacket and gun holster unceremoniously on the arm of her sofa and headed to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. It was only as she reached over the faucet that she noticed her reflection in the window; she was still covered in blood. Whether it was hers, Kathy's or the baby's she wasn't sure. It was her only physical reminder of the ordeal she had gone through that day and she placed the glass down on the drainer. She needed a hot shower and to burn the clothes she was wearing. Turning on the steaming water she removed her clothes, threw them into the garbage basket in her bathroom and stepped under the steaming water hoping that it would wash away more than the blood.

Elliot was her partner and she wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. She had saved the life of his wife and child today and yet there was a small, horrid part of her that hated herself for it. A part of her that would quite rightly have her soul banished to Hell, if she, like her partner, believed in such things. She wasn't sure when she'd gotten herself into this emotional mess. He'd been married for as long as she'd known him, he'd always been spoken for, not to mention the fact that he was her partner; in the eyes of the NYPD anything other than friendship between them would be a crime. Still, somewhere during the past few months she had allowed herself to let her guard down and bam! She'd had her first revelation when she had returned to find him with another partner. At that, a beautiful, young, female partner with whom he seemed extremely comfortable. The fact that he was newly separated wasn't lost on her. Had he begun dating? Olivia didn't know the answer. Then, as soon as she had returned she discovered that his wife was pregnant and the two had reunited. So much for a missed opportuni-

_STOP IT!_ she berated herself, pounding the tiled wall with her fist in the hope that the sudden pain would make her thoughts disappear. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't supposed to happen at all! She was determined that whatever feelings she didn't have for her partner would remain her secret forever. She would accept that he was a no-go area and be content with the knowledge that he was happily married with a beautiful family. Olivia closed her eyes and was immediately assaulted with the memory of their embrace in the hallway; she would swear under oath that she could still smell the scent of his cologne. Her eyes snapped open and she sunk down the wall onto the shower floor, allowing the steaming water to cascade over her as she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees.

Now if only her heart would follow her head, she might just have a fighting chance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elliot knocked on the door of Cragen's office and waited for a response before inching the door open.

"Captain, could I have a minute?" Cragen motioned to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Come in, take a seat, what can I do for you, Detective?"

Stabler took a seat awkwardly.

"Thank you, Sir. I, um, just thought I should let you know that Kathy and I have decided to stay divorced."

Cragen, who hadn't been expecting the news, furrowed his brow in question.

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that, Elliot," he said the words but his tone lacked conviction which didn't go unnoticed by Stabler.

"The marriage has been over for a while now, we just let... circumstances cloud our judgement. It's for the best. In light of what you said at the hospital yesterday, I thought I owed it to you to inform you of our decision, Sir."

"In light of what I said, Detective?" Cragen asked, slightly puzzled as to why he had felt the need to explain himself to his Captain. He didn't remember saying anything about Elliot's marriage.

"Yes, Sir. About not screwing things up again."

The light suddenly dawned on Cragen; in his attempt to be discreet, his Detective had completely gotten the wrong idea. He wasn't exactly sure how to explain himself so he chose to be as direct as his position allowed him to be.

"I wasn't talking about your family, Detective." Stabler looked as though he was about to ask another question, most likely one that Cragen couldn't answer, "If that's all, I have a lot of paperwork to finish."

Puzzled not only at the abruptness with which Cragen had ended the conversation but the cryptic answer he had given, Stabler stood, frowned and left hurriedly. As he walked down the corridor, he thought back to the previous day's conversation:

_"I daresay you owe your family to her, Stabler. Just do me a favour? Don't screw it up this time!" _

Screw what up? Elliot went over and over the statement and could only come up with one conclusion; his partnership with Liv. He shook his head; Cragen would never have made such a public reference to the complicated relationship that existed between himself and Olivia, would he? It would explain his vagueness and his reluctance to explain himself further. Perhaps he was over-analysing. For the moment, Elliot let it drop. He had bigger fish to fry; breaking the news to Olivia.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: For any non-Brits, to 'flog a dead horse' means 'to do something without a hope of succeeding'. Don't worry, you'll see why I included this later on.**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olivia sat staring, unseeing at the television as she swirled the wine round her glass. It goaded her, dared her to take a sip. One little sip couldn't hurt, right? _It might take a bit of your pain away _her mind taunted, _go on just one sip._

A knock on the door startled her and she breathed a sigh as she placed the glass down onto the coffee table. She wasn't her mother, she couldn't drown her sorrows with alcohol. The door swung open to reveal her partner.

"Hey, Elliot," she said with a hint of surprise and... a hint of reticence? "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the hospital with Kathy?"

Elliot shrugged non-committally.

"I will be later but I thought I'd swing by here first, check up on my partner!" He said brightly, "How are you feeling, Liv? You've had one hell of a day, saving my ass on more than one count. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you earlier."

"I'm fine," she said but there was something about the way she said it that made Elliot doubt the sincerety of her words. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," he all-too eagerly aquiesced, sliding into her apartment and following her into the kitchen. "You should rest, what would you like to drink?" He offered her the contents of her own cupboards.

"You're the guest here, there seems to be something wrong about this!" She stated in jest but her smile faltered as she realised her unfortunate choice of words. Elliot paused mid-reach for the coffee and turned to stare at her, looking somewhat nervous. Olivia quickly attempted to make light of her comment, "on the other hand, I guess you do own me a drink so I'll have a green tea, please." He set to the task of filling the kettle and obtaining two mugs from her mug tree on the counter while she took a seat and watched him move about her kitchen as though it were his own.

"I went to see Cragen before." Elliot said conversationally.

"About the driver?" Olivia queried tentatively. With the events since the crash she hadn't had time to think about any possible criminal proceedings.

Elliot gripped the mug tightly. Just the thought of what that bastard could have done to his life today... he took a moment to calm down, he was getting side-tracked and at this moment that was a very bad idea.

"No, Casey reckons we've got enough to put him away for a very long time. I just wanted to keep him apprised of my situation."

Olivia's heart rate shot up.

"Oh?"

Elliot handed her a steaming mug, which she held in her hands as though it was the only thing keeping her alive at that moment, and took a seat opposite her at the table.

"Kathy and I have decided to remain divorced." He watched as Olivia processed his words, her expression going from agreement to shock to confusion as her mind worked.

"But... but I thought you were still married?"

"We both signed the divorce papers. Even when we got back together we hadn't quite gotten around to making it official. I guess it was a sign. Anyway, we decided that nothing has really changed between us, I'm not going to stop being who I am and Kathy wasn't willing to settle for anything less than the husband she deserves."

To say that Olivia had been blind-sided was an understatement. She frowned and opened her mouth and closed it again, obviously not knowing exactly what to say.

"But what about-"

"Elliot? I still plan on being around for everything, at least as much as I was for my other kids if not a little bit more, I just won't be living with Kathy and the kids anymore, that's all."

Olivia didn't know what to say so she settled for the obvious.

"I'm sorry, El. I know you were hoping it would work out this time."

Elliot's eyes went wide. Had he really made her think that? The only reason he had gone back to Kathy was because of the baby. As his Irish Grandpa had often told him, it was no use flogging a dead horse; their marriage had had its fate sealed long before their single night of weakness.

"We got back together for Elliot's sake. We were stupid to think it could've worked, I don't think either of us truly believed it would. We'd drifted too far apart. Besides, we both had our reasons to move on."

This surprised Olivia, she had always assumed that their only obstacle had been Elliot's commitment to his job.

"Was there... another person involved?"

"For Kathy's part, perhaps. She deserves someone to be everything she needs in a husband, not the life of a cop's wife."

Olivia swallowed hard and glanced down, unable to watch his expression as she dared as her burning question.

"And yours?"

Elliot paused and then reached across the table to grip her hand, making her look at him.

"There's... the promise of someone else, in the indefinite future. Maybe."

She stared in disbelief. He couldn't have just said what she thought he had, could he? As Elliot let go of her hand, he stood up and placed his half-empty mug into the sink.

"It's funny, when I spoke to Cragen earlier he said the strangest thing to me."

Olivia stood too and followed Elliot out to the door.

"Yeah?"

"That thing he said yesterday about me screwing something up? Turns out, he wasn't talking about my family!" He shrugged but his grin gave him away.

Olivia raised an eyebrow cheekily, suddenly gaining confidence.

"Well... that's certainly interesting."

"Yeah, I thought so too," he beamed as he opened the door, "Goodnight, Liv. Try to get some sleep." He gave her a melodramatic once-over. "God knows, you could do with your beauty sleep tonight!"

Olivia gasped in mock indignation as she swatted his arm playfully and gently shoved him into the hallway.

"I'll remember that the next time you send me for coffee and doughnuts!" She called after him as he headed off down the hallway, waving a hand as her as if to playfully dismiss her comment. She closed the door and leant back against it, suddenly feeling as though all of her energy had been drained. Pushing herself off the door with her arms and heading towards her bedroom shaking her head, she felt as though a huge cloud had been lifted. Some days just didn't work out like you expected them too. And sometimes that was a very good thing indeed!


	5. Chapter 5

**Central Park**

**Sunday, April 15th 2010**

A gun shot rang out through the park. A flock of birds flew up from the bushes, frightened by the noise.

Olivia sat in the surveillance van but she had lost sight of Elliot.

"Detective Stabler, we have lost video contact, relay your position." There was no response. "Detective Stabler, please respond." Still only static.

"Damn!" Olivia exclaimed as she threw down her headset, grabbed her radio and burst through the doors before Fin could stop her. "All units this is Detective Benson, we have lost audio and visual contact with Detective Stabler, shots fired. I repeat shots fired, all units to his last known position." All she was aware of was the pounding of her footfalls and her blood racing. She tried once again. "Detective Stabler, please respond." She turned a corner to find a familiar sneaker sticking out from the undergrowth and her heart lept into her mouth. He was lying face down on the ground and was completely still. Hurrying to his side, she knelt down to check his pulse and found a weak one. When she reached down to turn him over something wet covered her hand. Pulling back, her hand was covered in blood. "Oh, God! Detective down, I repeat Detective Stabler has been shot. I need a bus, _now_." She threw her radio to one side and removed her jacket to stem the bleeding. "Hang in there, El, don't you give up on me now!" She whispered more to reassure herself than her unconcious partner. Footfalls behind her had her armed and ready to shoot within the blink of an eye.

"NYPD! Don't shoot!" It was Munch followed closely by Fin.

"He's been shot in the shoulder. I didn't see the direction the guy ran."

The sirens sounded in the distance followed by the honking of the fire truck.

"Come on, El. Wake up! The bus'll be here any second."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olivia sat in the corridor with her hands resting on her knees and her head in her hands. The door burst open and the noise attracted her attention.

"Olivia," Kathy walked over to her followed by their daughter, Kathleen.

"Kathy," she said softly by way of a greeting. "Kathleen."

"How is he?"

"He's still in surgery. He was shot in the shoulder."

Kathleen barged past her mother.

"How the hell did this happen?," she yelled at Olivia, "I thought you were his partner, you're supposed to protect him."

"Kathleen!" Her mother chastised, "This isn't Olivia's fault."

"He was shot by a guy we had under surveil-"

"Detective Benson?"

The surgeon appeared in his scrubs.

"Detective Stabler is in the ICU. Whoever administered first aid saved his life, he'd already lost a lot of blood before he was found. We removed the bullet but there was extensive damage to his shoulder. He may never regain complete use of his arm and he'll be facing months of rehab. I'm sorry."

Olivia sank back in her seat. This wasn't happening. Without the use of his arm he'd probably have to retire. His career in SVU, at the very least, was over.

"I'm so sorry, Kathy."

"It's not your fault, Olivia. He's a cop, it's the risk you take every day. He's still alive, thanks to you."

"He won't be concious until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I suggest you go home, get some sleep and come back tomorrow."

Kathy placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"Do you need a ride? Your place isn't far out of our way." Kathleen folded her arms across her chest and pulled an I'm-so-not-impressed-mom face.

"Nah, I, urm, I have a car waiting downstairs. Thank you."

Kathy shrugged.

"No problem. Call me if you hear anything, ok?"

Olivia nodded and gave her a forced smile and Kathy turned and left with her daughter in tow.

Olivia didn't know what to do. Rationally, she knew that she needed sleep, but she also knew that she wouldn't get any tonight. Whatever happened, she knew that their partnership of almost eleven years had come to an abrupt and brutal end. Would Elliot blame her for his career going down the pan?

It was that thought alone that kept her from sleep that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia walked into Elliot's hospital room the next morning looking like death. Her hair looked messed up, she had no make-up on and she was wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie. Elliot's eyes opened at the sound of the door opening.

"Hey!," he greeted groggily, "Looks like someone didn't get much sleep last night."

"You don't look so hot yourself," Olivia quipped back, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot in the shoulder," he said matter-of-factly, "I spoke to the doc this morning, he told me the deal. Looks like you'll need to go shopping fo a new partner."

Olivia took a seat next to him, her eyes welling up.

"Elliot, please, we don't know anything yet. Give it a few months for your shoulder to heal. You might just get lucky."

He shook his head and picked at the threads on his blanket.

"I think I've lucked out once too many times. Maybe this is God's way of telling me it's time to call it quits."

A suspicious-sounding sniffle caught Elliot's attention and he looked up to find Olivia wildly wiping away tears that were streaming down her face.

"Hey, hey. Why the tears?" He asked, reaching for her with his good arm. Unusually she leant into his chest and began to sob.

"I'm so sorry, El, if I hadn't lost sight of you, if I had gotten to you sooner-"

"...it wouldn't have made any difference. You did all you could, sometimes things just aren't meant to be."

Olivia pulled back and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

"Please, just give the rehab a chance to work. I'll have the Captain assign me a temporary partner until then. Lake is transferring out next week and Fin hasn't had a new partner assigned yet."

Elliot considered it for a few moments.

"Ok, ok, fine. I'll give it a couple of months."

A nurse entered the room with an IV.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Ah, Detective Benson, Detective Stabler's partner."

"Well, Detective, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. Mr Stabler needs to rest."

Elliot was about to protest but Olivia placed a hand on his arm to silence him.

"It's ok, El. I should get back to the station. Update Cragen. I need to have a word with him about Fin." Olivia stood up and grasped his hand. "Feel better soon."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**September 21st 2010**

**Elliot's Leaving Party**

**Casey's Bar**

**Downtown Manhattan**

"Elliot, my man, good to see ya!" Fin slapped Elliot on his good shoulder.

"Hey Fin, likewise. How's it going?"

"Same old, same old." He leaned over and spoke quietly so that only Elliot could hear him. "She ain't gonna say anything to ya so I will. She misses you, man."

Elliot bowed his head.

"I miss her too."

"Speak of the Devil!" Fin called over Elliot's shoulder, "Hey, baby girl, over here!" Elliot turned to see Olivia dressed in a blue button-down shirt and a just above the knee skirt. Elliot was speechless. Olivia smiled coyly.

"Can I buy you gentlemen a drink?" She asked.

"Sure thing, sweetheart!" Fin replied, Elliot just nodded.

"Hey, Liv. Need a hand?"

"Sure."

Elliot followed her to the bar, leaving a smirking Fin in his wake. Suddenly Munch walked in.

"Hey, Fin! What did I miss?"

Fin nodded over his shoulder towards the bar.

"Oh, the show's only just begun."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bar was emptying and almost everyone had said their goodbyes with the exception of Munch, Fin and Olivia. Someone had decided it would be fun to put the jukebox on and it was playing some lively country song. Olivia and Fin were dancing away with only the bartender there to give them the occasional questioning glance.

"So, Elliot, what's your plan now?"

"I was thinking I could start my own business. Private investigation maybe."

"P.I. Stabler, huh? Sounds interesting."

"Hey, you two! Why don't you get your asses up here and join us!" Fin called from across the bar.

"I don't dance," came Elliot's reply.

"Now, I know that ain't true!," Fin continued pointing to Munch, "And he can't tell me he ain't been to enough Barmitzvahs to know how to shake his booty. Get over here."

They both looked at each other and shrugged.

"I guess one dance wouldn't hurt. Besides, there's no one else here."

Munch stood and was followed reluctantly by Elliot.

"Alright, already, we're here. Now what do you want us to do?"

"It's called the 'Cha-Cha Slide'" said Olivia smugly, "Come on, it's not hard, Fin showed me how to do it."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bartender paused in the middle of cleaning glasses and rang the bell over the bar.

"Drink up, please."

"Looks like our night's up," Fin sulked and moved over to where his beer had been sitting. Munch and Olivia were about to follow him when Elliot reached out and grabbed Olivia's arm. She looked back, puzzled. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"One last dance? For old times' sake?"

Olivia didn't know what made her do it but she suddenly found herself face to face with Elliot and the song changed and the first strains of a piano would be heard over the clinking of glasses and scraping of chairs on the linoleum floor. Elliot put his injured arm around her waist and took Olivia's hand in his, bringing it to his chest and began to sway.

_You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive  
_

Elliot pulled her a little closer into his chest like that day in the hospital so long ago. He realised that was the day that had changed everything. He finally woke up and realised what he had been trying to deny for so many years; he was in love with Olivia. How could he not have known? It was so obvious to everybody, Fin, Munch, Kathy, hell, even Cragen had commented on it! He closed his eyes as he moved gently to the music.

_  
A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you_

Olivia, softened a little by the alcohol, allowed herself to lean into him just a little, turning her head to the side and resting it in the crook of his neck.

_  
So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close_

How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are

Olivia pulled back just enough to look up at Elliot. Sensing her movement, Elliot opened his eyes and looked down at her. She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand in reassurance, allowing herself one final moment of happiness before reality surely set in.

_  
So close  
So close  
And still so far__   
_

They pulled apart reluctantly and turned to where Munch and Fin had been standing but they were no longer there. Olivia turned to the bartender and released Elliot's hand.

"Excuse me, did you see where those two guys went?"

The bartender looked up and smiled.

"Yeah they said they had to get up early in the morning and to call them when you need a best man and a flowergirl." He went back to his ministrations.

In the dim light, Elliot could barely make out Olivia's blush.

"Well, it's getting kinda late, I'd bette-"

Elliot reached out a hand to stop her from moving away.

"Liv. We need to talk about a few things. Can I give you a ride home?"

Olivia nodded apprehensively. She had a pretty good idea what he wanted to talk about, she just wasn't sure she'd ever see the day when it came down to this. Them. They both grabbed their jackets and Elliot guided her out of the bar with a gentle hand on the small of Olivia's back.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: The song, 'So Close', and lyrics belong to Mr John McLaughlin.**


End file.
